As expected, Justin Fields‘ time in New York is coming to an end. A trade has been worked out which will send him from the Jets to the Chiefs, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. 
This trade will include a late-round pick swap. The Jets are dealing Fields and a seventh-round pick to the Chiefs in exchange for a sixth-round pick, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network notes. The sixth-rounder is in the 2027 draft, per colleague Tom Pelissero.
New York is retaining salary to facilitate this deal, SNY’s Connor Hughes reports. Per Pelissero, the Jets are taking on $7MM of the $10MM Fields was already guaranteed for the 2026 season. That will make him a cost-effective backup for the Chiefs, a team in need of insurance under center. Patrick Mahomes continues to recover from an ACL tear, leaving his Week 1 availability in question.
Gardner Minshew was in place as Kansas City’s backup, but he departed last week by agreeing to a free agent deal with the Cardinals. Fields will now be able to handle first-team reps through the offseason while Mahomes recovers. Other teams were interested in the former Bear and Steeler, per Schefter. He adds, however, that Fields’ preference was to join the Chiefs. With an immediate path to practice time in place with respect to Kansas City, that comes as no surprise.
For the Jets, a Fields departure was made even more likely once a reunion with Geno Smith was worked out. New York traded for Smith last week, and his contract was also reworked as part of the deal. The Jets will only be responsible for $3.3MM of Smith’s compensation for 2026. Paying out a larger figure has allowed for a parting of ways in Fields’ case, something which seemed inevitable once his brief tenure atop the depth chart came to an end.
The former first-rounder secured $30MM guaranteed on a two-year free agent deal last spring. Fields served as New York’s starter for nine contests, averaging less than 140 passing yards per game with a career-low 6.2 yards per attempt average. He managed 383 rushing yards and four scores on the ground, but Fields and the Jets’ passing game was the subject of public criticism from owner Woody Johnson before head coach Aaron Glenn decided to bench him. Tyrod Taylor and Brady Cook saw time afterwards; Taylor is unsigned but Cook and Bailey Zappe are still in place for the Jets.
The cap savings ($11MM) and dead money charges ($12MM) generated by this trade are essentially a wash for New York. Kansas City, meanwhile, entered Monday with roughly $10MM in cap space – nowhere near as much as the Jets. Taking on Fields at a highly reduced rate will be key for the Chiefs as they sort out their QB depth chart. Fields will join Mahomes, Chris Oladokun and Jake Haener as signal-callers in Kansas City. The Ohio State product has expressed confidence he can still operate as a starter, and the opportunity to do so on a short-term basis may present itself in 2026.
Amazed they were able to move him.
Exactly
I smell a QB battle 👀
Im confused. Why trade for him in the first place?
Patrick likely not ready for the start of the season and Fields is light years better than Oladokun.
Thank you. I cant delete my comment. I read this as NYJ trading Geno to KC.
@thegreatgoodbye. Because he’s only 3m. That’s not bad for a backup, and atleast he can run. That’s how much lance costs. I think the rest of the market will want 5-8 million.
If nothing else, this makes sense for a team that refuses to use their quarterback for quarterback sneaks. But as a Jets fan I’m pretty surprised to see him exit by trade. I imagine when the details emerge, they won’t involve much financial burden going to KC or much draft compensation going east.
Jets gotta be paying most of his salary, maybe Mahomes had a setback? He’s a really good backup in a league with so few usable QBs.
I wouldnt put Fields, a QB who cannot competently operate an NFL offense, a really good backup QB. A good backup is one that can usually do the basics
Of course, the Jets GM that signed him kept his job. What a moronic franchise.
Can you fire GMs in Madden? Maybe Woody’s kid told him Madden said they had to keep the GM.
Maybe the brainless B.S. artists don’t understand that player moves don’t happen in a vacuum.
BTW, the Jets travel to GEHA Field at Arrowhead this coming season. Potential for a split network on the back half of a CBS doubleheader.
uhhh you got it backwards.
The Chiefs will take on $3 million of the $10 million Justin Fields was guaranteed in 2026, per source. So, the Jets effectively offset both the cash and pick they gave up to get new starter Geno Smith by moving last year’s starter.
you said the jets are taking on the 3 mill.
And Fields still sucks. Just a new uniform and a new city.
Omg how stupid are the chiefs? Have they seen this bust play?!
Busts who have some plus trait and are still among the 60 best quarterbacks in football get paid something like KC is paying him. Trey Lance is also making similar money.
And not to be a Fields apologist because I think he is garbage, but he did keep the Steelers afloat a couple years ago. He didn’t put up mind blowing stats, but he did have a 4-2 record and 5TD/1INT. Russ took over and went 6-1 before finishing 0-4, 0-5 if you count the playoff loss. Having your career so far with the Bears and Jets is never going to be an indicator of your talent. I think he could be servicable for 2-4 games needed to get Mahomes back on the field.
He’s at least 10x better than noodle arm Minshew and trading a pick over a year away was a good trade. I hope he starts the season so Pat doesn’t rush back too soon and rg3 his leg.
Andy Reid will weave his QB Whisperer magic on Justin Fields in any games he starts for The Chiefs, and Fields will play some of the best football of his career. Some bottom tier team will buy the hype next off season thinking Justin Fields has turned things around. He’ll get another contract from one of those QB starving bottom tier teams and they will regret it immediately.
If Reid can do with Fields what LaFluer did with Willis, they could end up with a Compensatory Pick in 2028. The Browns still exist and love to sign QBs.
Jets: “Hey, remember a couple years ago when we basically gave you back the guy who caught the SB winning pass for pennies on the dollar?”
Chiefs: “Yep”.
Jets: “Can you do us a huge solid?”
I’ve got a feeling we’ll be seeing some interesting Bieniemy/Reid formations/plays, even when Patty gets back behind center.
I wouldn’t be shocked if the chiefs bring in another QB and we see fields used as a gadget player
They solved their RB woes with adding Walker and Fields. Nicely done KC!
KC now has a guy that sounds like a frog and a guy that looks like a frog playing QB.
Also, the Jets are paying $56.4 for 3 guys to not play QB for them next year (Rodgers, Fields, T. Taylor)